The College of Engineering holds an introductory seminar on the Technology Incubator and Ecosystem Unit

The College of Engineering holds an introductory seminar on the Technology Incubator and Ecosystem Unit
Under the patronage of the President of the University of Kirkuk, the respected Professor Dr. Imran Jamal Hassan, and under the direct supervision of the Dean of the College, the respected Professor Dr. Clink Akram.
Within the framework of recent developments in the field of technology and entrepreneurship, the College of Engineering at Kirkuk University organized a specialized symposium on the goals, plans and tasks of the Technology Incubator Unit and Ecosystem. The symposium was chaired by the Unit Director, M.M. Enas Shamil Mahmoud, in the presence of unit members M.M. Hussein Abbas Jassim and Mr. Sarmad Taha Ibrahim.
At the beginning of the symposium, the unit director presented an overview of the objectives of the technology incubator and the ecosystem, where she emphasized its main role in supporting the spirit of entrepreneurship and developing innovation at the university and the local community. She pointed out that the unit works to provide the appropriate environment to host emerging projects and provide technical and advisory support to students and professionals wishing to establish their own companies in the field of technology.
She added to the symposium information about the emergence of the idea of business incubators in the world, as this idea arose in the late fifties indirectly as a result of the economic depression in Europe, specifically in 1959 in the United States of America. She pointed out that this recession led to many large companies stopping work, such as the Massey Ferguson Company, which was engaged in creating various agricultural equipment. This company owns a huge complex of 80 million square feet in Texas, where it was sold to an Italian family called Mancuso, and turned into the world's first business incubator called Batavia Industrial Center (BIC).
She indicated that in Iraq, the idea of business incubators is keeping pace even but it began with actual efforts in 2015 AD through individual self-efforts, and it has been activated in institutions this year 2023-2024, as the name (Technological Incubator and Ecosystem Unit) was chosen by the Ministry as a name corresponding to the first university business incubators. she has. The members confirmed that this unit is in the process of forming and training its cadres, and will soon be able to embrace students’ projects and ideas by providing material and moral services, such as providing a place to work, training, networking with other supportive bodies, and searching for financiers and supporters for the projects.
For his part, M.M. Hussein Abbas Jassim gave a detailed presentation about the unit’s plans for the coming period, which included strategies for developing infrastructure and expanding the network of partnerships with the private sector and government agencies to enhance the role of the technology incubator as a driver of innovation and sustainable development.
Moreover, Mr. Sarmad Taha Ibrahim presented a review of the activities that the unit will implement during the coming period, including workshops, training courses, and innovative competitions that encourage the development of entrepreneurial thought and the development of students’ technical skills.
At the conclusion of the symposium, the door was opened for questions and discussions, as attendees participated in raising their inquiries and suggestions to enhance the role of the technology incubator and the ecosystem in achieving its goals in the best possible ways.